


there's one happiness in this life (to love and be loved)

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Series: this world is wrong (but you are right) [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Framework Universe (Marvel), F/M, Fluff, The Framework Universe (Marvel), Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, huntingbird sidepairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 15:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17769488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: The Rodriguez-Mackenzies celebrate Valentine's Day through the years.





	there's one happiness in this life (to love and be loved)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heeeymackelena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeeymackelena/gifts).



> for the marvel fluff bingo, square: child au

“You sure you don’t mind doing Valentine’s at mine?”Mack asked.

“Completely sure,”Elena gave back. She’d told him so a few times already but he was adorably nervous about the whole thing. Just their luck to start dating a mere few weeks before the biggest romantic holiday there was.“You sure Hope doesn’t mind me intruding?”

Mack chuckled, and Elena smiled at the soft, familiar sound.“Sparkplug might be more excited than I am, to tell you the truth. Apparently I’m not very good Valentine’s company because I don’t know all the songs in Moana by heart.”

“Well, that is a rather big failing,”Elena said, drawing another chuckle from him.

“Will you come anyway?”

“How could I resist the promise of a singalong?” Elena rolled over in bed to check the time, shaking her head at herself when she saw how late it was. They’d spent far too long on the phone once again, like smitten teenagers.“I’ll see you tomorrow, Turtleman.”

* * *

Elena had barely rang the doorbell when the door was already opened, Hope bouncing on her heels with Mack right behind her.

“Hi!” There were pieces of glitter stuck to the little girl’s round cheeks, probably from the card she was clutching to her chest. She checked over her shoulder.“Now, Daddy? Can I do it now?”

“Go ahead, sweetheart,”he said, exchanging a smile with Elena, the only greeting they could really get in with the excited child between them demanding her attention.

Hope held the card out to Elena, bright smile on her face.“Will you be our Valentine?”

“I’d love to,”Elena said, crouching down to hug the girl against her.

Hope pressed a very wet kiss to her cheek, then pulled back just enough for them to be able to look at the card together.

It was handmade and heart shaped; Mack quite clearly had done the cutting because Hope still had a little trouble with scissors. The drawings were all hers, though.

“That’s us,”she explained, pointing at two figures covered in glitter.“And that’s Tamatoa trying to get us for being shiny. Moana’s here.” She jabbed her finger at the glump of glitter on the crab’s back. The she pointed to a glitterless figure off to the side. “That’s Daddy. He’s baking cookies.”

“And if you get out of the doorway and into the living room, you can actually have cookies,”Mack added.

“They’re heart shaped, too,”Hope announced, pushing her hand into Elena’s to lead her to the living room.“But that’s a surprise.”

 

A few hours later, with “You’re Welcome” stuck in her head and Hope asleep on her lap, Elena accepted the glass of wine Mack handed her with a smile, leaning against him when he sat back down.“Thank you. This was really fun.”

He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss against her forehead. Just like Elena, he spoke barely louder than a whisper so he wouldn’t wake his daughter.“I guess that means you’ll have to come around next Valentine’s Day, too.”

“I guess it does,”she replied, turning to kiss him properly.

* * *

By the time their second Valentine’s Day as a couple rolled around, Elena had moved in with the Mackenzies.

It was the taste of domestic bliss she had never dared to hope for, not once she’d found out she was Inhuman. But now she was cooking meals for her family, picking Hope up from friends’ houses, and learning to do her hair just the way her Dad did, since Hope insisted that was the best way. She went to sleep in Mack’s arms, and woke up to him already making breakfast.

In short, she was as happy as she possibly could be. Or so she thought until Hope sidled up to her, unusually shy, holding a card out to her.“Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“Thank you, sweetheart,”Elena said, kissing her forehead before she opened the card. She read the three words painstakingly drawn in rainbow colours onto the red background. She swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat, read them again, and looked back at Hope, speechless for a moment.

“Do you like it?”Hope asked.

“I love it,”Elena said, holding out her arms for a hug the girl gladly jumped into.“And I love you, mija.”

Hope snuggled closer to her and repeated what she’d written into the card,“Te amo, Mama.”

It was the first time she’d called her that. She’d never call her anything else again.

* * *

They got married on Valentine’s Day, their acquiescence to romance on the matter. The wedding itself was a small affair, just a few friends joining them at City Hall to sign the needed papers, and then for dinner after.

Bobbi and Hunter took Hope home with them for the night, insistent that they enjoy themselves properly now that they were newlyweds.

Hope was delighted to go, and practically hurried them out of the door.

“She knows Hunter’s not strict about snacking,”Mack said with a chuckle and an eye-roll.“He’ll pump her full of sugar, I’d bet you anything. All to be the favourite uncle. As if she even has another uncle…”

“Speaking of sugary snacks,”Elena said, hand sliding into her husband’s back pocket and smiling up at him,“I have some strawberries and whipped cream waiting back home with our names on them.”

* * *

Elena woke up to find that she’d slept in much longer than she usually did - but it was Sunday, Valentine’s Day, which of course also made it her anniversary, and she was pregnant. If there had ever been a better list of excuses to lay around in bed, she couldn’t think of it.

“Morning, mi amor,”Mack said when she turned around to face him. He leaned in to kiss her, then moved to pepper a trail of kisses down her body, pausing to whisper a good morning to their baby. His hands were resting on the swell of her belly and she was just about to suggest he get up and lock the door when it was inched open.

“Breakfast in bed,”Hope announced, balancing an overladen tray in her hands and nudging the door further open with her foot.

Mack quickly went over to help her, all three of them settling in the bed with the tray between them. Hope, knowing full-well she wasn’t allowed to use the stove by herself, had brought them what seemed to be about half their fruit bowl, a whole packet of cookies, lots of toast and just about every spread they had in the house.

“The queso crema’s just for Mama,”Hope said decisively, pushing it towards her.“Because the baby likes it, too.”

“But you love it,”Elena protested.“The baby and I will share, don’t worry.”

“It’s fine, I’m the big sister,”Hope said, and then, with a very cheeky grin, added, “I’ll just have your cookies to make up for it.”

* * *

Elena rocked the baby gently in one arm, using the other hand to hold Hope's current project upright. Mack sat cross-legged on the floor, tinkering with the more intricate technical parts. Bobbi was cutting out little hearts, while Hope had put Hunter on hot chocolat duty.

Their girl really had a hand for engineering, and even more so for running a team, it seemed.

“Are you almost done, Daddy?”Hope wanted to know. He nodded and she gave him a thumbs up.“Mama, you can let go now, it should hold.”

Elena pulled her hand away slowly but true to Hope’s word nothing toppled over.

“I'm done with the hearts,”Bobbi announced, holding her hands out to Elena.“My turn to hold Jandro.”

Elena settled her son into Bobbi’s arms and he twisted a tiny hand into her hair right away. Maybe it was because everyone else he knew had dark hair but his Auntie Bobbi was certainly his favourite hair-pulling victim; not that she minded, cooing at him softly.

Once Hope was satisfied with her work, she made everyone sit on the sofa, huddled close together with their mugs of hot chocolate.

“Perfect marshmallow ratio,”she told Hunter, who gave an exaggerated bow in return.

Hope flicked off the light and turned on her project. It turned slowly, throwing hearts in different colours on the walls and ceiling, “My funny valentine” playing softly.

“I made it special because it's your first Valentine’s day,”Hope told her brother. Alejandro was babbling excitedly; Elena leaned closer into Mack, who had pride written all over his face. Hope poked Jandro’s nose, he scrunched it up and then giggled as she did it again.“You can't be my Valentine, though, because Uncle Lance is.”

The man in question chuckled.“I am?”

Hope nodded, then turned to her parents and matter-of-factly said,“I'll marry Uncle Lance when I grow up.”

“What about me?”Bobbi asked, barely biting back laughter.

“Well, you already married him, so it's my turn next,”Hope said, then wedged herself in between Bobbi and Elena on the much too crowded sofa.“You can be Jandro's Valentine!”

“Don't be too flattered,”Mack told Hunter.“Last week she was gonna marry Wonder Woman.”

That only made Hunter’s grin broaden.“Honestly, that’s amazing company to keep.”

Elena smiled into her hot chocolate. Even without Wonder Woman, they were already in amazing company.


End file.
